OAKLAND (KRON) — The Oakland public defender’s office is now questioning numerous cases involving a veteran police officer after allegations of criminal misconduct prompted a department investigation.
Sgt. Mike Gantt, an OPD homicide investigator, was placed on paid leave after allegations surfaced that his girlfriend reportedly published police reports on a social media website.
“Those reports are meant to be confidential, they’re meant to protect witnesses,” said public defender Brendon Woods.
Gantt, who is married, was reportedly using his girlfriend to help him write his police reports.
Woods says his office is examining cases linked to Gantt, several of which are in the court process now including homicides. Gantt was been with the force for 27 years.
“Right now, we as defense, have such a hard time getting people to come to court,” Woods said. “A big reason is because they don’t trust the police,” Woods said.
On Thursday, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf is called for an investigation into possible police criminal misconduct.
“Today, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth announced that at their request, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will be handling an investigation into alleged criminal misconduct by a member of the Oakland Police Department (OPD),” mayor’s office spokeswoman Erica Derryck said in a press release.
Schaaf was made aware of the criminal allegations on June 11, her office said. The mayor turned the criminal investigation over to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office the next day.
This all comes as the department is dealing with a sex scandal first broken by KRON, involving a call girl who said she had relationships with multiple police officers. Some of those encounters allegedly happened when she was underage.
“This investigation is separate and unrelated to the ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by members of OPD,” the mayor’s office said.
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